If you missed our last blog post, you missed Part I of our talk with Danny, our resident rock star Ninja Trainer. In the first half of our discussion, Danny reviewed his experience in creating great relationships with Ninja kids that come through his classes. He forwarded that advice onto fellow trainers (go back and read it…I’ll wait.). In this portion, I asked Danny how Ninja parents can help him to become a more successful trainer, and he weighed in with some great insights:

“Give us honest feedback; we use it.” Danny said he once had a Ninja that wasn’t able to complete a move properly, and as a trainer, he did everything he could to help him to be able to improve that move. Behind the scenes, the child told his parents that he didn’t want to go back to class because he felt like he would be put on the spot regarding his athletic ability. While this wasn’t the case from Danny’s standpoint, if the parent had not approached him, he may have lost a Ninja kid, and Danny shared with me that his heart would break if a child quit because of his coaching abilities. Talk to your trainers, parents!

“TELL US if there are any physical barriers, or special needs or abilities that are prudent to your child’s learning. Always make sure the coach knows that.” If a parent approaches him regarding a physical barrier for their child, it helps Danny to know to keep a constant eye on the child, thus knowing and understanding him or her better.

“Let us know when you see improvement in your kid outside of class.” Danny said that he had a parent tell him that his child almost fell, and he went straight into a roll, instead of falling over. The parent had witnessed the benefits that Ninja Zone had on his child. They were able to see transferable core skills in action, which is a huge testament to the program. “If you see that your kid is more confident on the monkey bars or something like that, we love to know that stuff!”

“Be open to communicating with parents.” Danny used the example of a Ninja that was struggling with a core Ninja move. He offered a private lesson to the Ninja parents, so he could help the child work through his difficulties on his own time and catch up to the class. If a parent reaches out to you for help, be open to that. If they trust you enough to assist them in helping their child, consider it an honor.

“Parents need to approach coaches.” Danny said there have been times that he has had three Ninja classes going on at once, and six kids per class, so he can potentially see eighteen kids in an hour. There is just no way he can talk to all of those parents in a short period of time following a class. It’s usually much easier for a parent to approach a coach, and they won’t know you need to talk if you don’t say anything!

Talking to Danny really helped me to dig deep into the mind of a trainer. Our Ninja Zone trainers coach our kids for more than just the workout. They do it for the passion. You can tell Danny has an incredible passion for what he does, and after witnessing him in a Ninja Zone class, I have faith that he is out there, living our motto: Turning Energy Into Ambition…One Awesome Kid At a Time.